Credit and debit card transactions have quickly become just as prevalent, if not more prevalent, than economic transactions using standard currency. A credit card works by an issuer of a credit card lending money to a credit-card holder to make a purchase. Often billed on a monthly basis, the issuer charges interest on the lent money until the credit-card holder pays the balance in full to the issuer. Alternatively, in the case of a debit card, the purchase amount is deducted from the account-holder's bank account.
Some credit and debit card manufacturers have recently begun to use wireless transmitters on credit cards to make the purchase between a card holder and seller more efficient. No longer will a card holder have to present the physical card itself to the merchant. The wireless transmitter and wireless receiver at the Point of Sale (POS) device eliminate the need for a magnetic strip on the credit card and a magnetic strip reader from the merchant.
However, the capability of receiving information wirelessly also introduces the risk that a card in proximity to the wireless receiving POS device, which is not intended to be involved in the transaction, will erroneously transmit information and that information will be introduced into the process. For instance, an employee running a cash register may have a wallet on his or her person that contains a card with wireless-capabilities. During a transaction, where the employee is naturally in close proximity to the POS device, the employee's card may be charged by mistake. Without a further step of ensuring which card is the target of the transaction, unintended and undesirable results may occur. It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a more reliable way of authorizing credit and debit purchases over the existing art.